&04y 


IC-NRLF 


MUSIC  MEMORY 

IN  THE 

SCHOOLS 


SUGGESTIONS  TO  TEACHERS 
FOR  CORRECT  CORRELATION 


^-^ 


MUSIC   MEMORY 

IN  THE 

SCHOOLS 


SUGGESTIONS  TO  TEACHERS 
FOR  CORRECT  CORRELATION 


BY 

EVELYN  MCFARLANE  MCCLUSKY 

Educational  Director  of  Sherman,  Clay^&»Q>.,      ,     , 


PRICE    -     15c 


PUBLISHED  BY 


SheiroanJpay&Ga 


SAN  FRANQSCO 


NOTE:  This  booklet  is  not  published  for  profit; 
the  price  i$c  covers  the  cost  of  publication  only. 


I^DEX: 


Foreword    5 

•Chapter       I.     What  is  a  Music  Memory  Contest? 6 

Chapter      II.     Selecting  the  List  7 

Chapter    III.      Suggestions  for  the  Guidance  of 

Committee  and  Teachers  ..  9 


Chapter     IV.  Phrases  Pertinent  to  Composers....                           .  12 

Chapter      V.     List  of  Compositions  13 

Chapter    VI.     Correlating  with  American  History .  15 

Chapter  VII.  Stories  ,and  Incidents  Relative  to  the 

•  ,' '', ".  Compositions  of  the  List 19 


Copyrighted  1921  by 
SHERMAN,  CLAY  &  Co.,  SAN  FRANCISCO 


FOREWORD 

The  compiler  of  this  little  book,  has  had  experience  in  teach- 
ing Music  Appreciation  for  several  years,  and  during  the  last  three 
years  has  been  connected  with  several  Music  Memory  Contests. 
These  Contests  have  become  a  National  movement  of  increasing 
interest.  So  many  requests  have  come  to  me  in  the  past  year  since 
acting  as  Chairman  of  the  Portland,  Oregon  Contest,  that  I  was 
forced  to  compile  this  little  helper  in  self  defence.  The  object 
is  to  attempt  to  give  an  inspirational,  logical  reason  for  Music 
Memory  Contests  in  any  City,  and  to  supply  some  definite  material 
with  which  to  launch  work  in  this  line,  in  an  educational  way. 

Our  days  are  so  crowded  that  we  often  neglect  interesting 
things,  and  miss  the  joy  that  they  would  bring.  Several  teachers 
have  told  me  that  they  have  had  happier  school  work  since  incor- 
porating into  their  daily  work,  some  definite  music  appreciation 
in  connection  with  the  regular  subjects.  The  people  of  other  lands 
come  into  children's  lives  and  thoughts  thru  hearing  the  music 
of  that  land;  the  rhythm  drills  and  concentration  drills  have  been 
the  means  of  awakening  dormant  minds,  of  tuning  a  class  in'to 
happy  harmony,  of  quieting  the  nerves  and  dispensing  with  the 
confusion  of  disconcerted  action.  After  introducing  music  appre- 
ciation into  her  work  one  teacher  said  to  me:  "I  feel  ten  years 
younger  this  year.  The  atmosphere  has  been  so  different,  and  my 
class  has  covered  more  pages  in  their  books  than  any  of  the  many 
previous  years  of  my  teaching.  I  am  sure  this  is  due  to  the  work 
we  have  done  in  music." 

For  the  reason  that  music  should  not  be  for  special  "music 
classes"  only,  a  Memory  Contest  is  particularly  valuable.  Every 
teacher  and  every  child  can  enter  into  it  and  for  this  reason  I  am 
supplying  the  information  contained  in  this  little  book,  that  others 
may  have  no  hesitancy  as  they  venture  forth  on  an  "uncharted 
sea."  Here  are  your  first  sailing  orders.  Set  sail!  Begin,  no 
matter  how  little  prepared  you  may  be,  you  will  find  each  harbor  a 
friendly  port,  inspiring  you  anew.  Your  own  ingenuity  will  carry 
you  forward  in  this  big  and  important  National  movement.  May 
you  have  the  joy  of  knowing  that  you  have  meant  much  to  your 
city  thru  your  efforts  in  opening  the  gates  of  the  land  of  Music. 

EVELYN  McFARLANE  MoCLTTSKY. 


friD  o 


CHAPTER  I. 

WHAT  IS  A  MUSIC  MEMORY  CONTEST? 

Altho  the  chief  aim  of  this  booklet  is  to  be  of  assistance  after 
you  have  already  decided  to  have  a  contest  and  perhaps  after  you 
have  already  had  one  contest,  it  is  possible  that  you  have  not  come 
into  possession  of  the  little  booklet  published  by  the  National 
Bureau  for  the  Advancement  of  Music  in  America,  105  West  40th  St., 
New  York  City,  which  gives  a  short  sketch  of  the  history  of  these 
contests,  and  suggestions  regarding  prizes  and  certificates,  etc. 

We  will  therefore  touch  the  salient  points  of  the  question 
which  so  many  are  asking  as  the  move  gathers  momentum  over 
the  country.  Over  two  hundred  cities  have  held  Music  Memory 
.^Contests,  since  the  first  one.  The  plan  is  an  outgrowth  of  the 
'needs  forced  upon  the  Committee  chosen  by  the  Government,  to 
look  after  the  rolls,  records  and  sheet  music  sent  to  our  soldiers. 
They  were  appalled!  Something  HAD  to  be  done  for  the  good  of 
the  Nation.  Quoting  Ann  Shaw  Faulkner  we  know  that  "a  nation 
first  becomes  great  thru  commerce,  then  the  visible  arts,  architec- 
ture, and  painting,  and  last  of  all  begins  a  development  of  that 
which  is  innate  in  all — music!  Also — 'A  nation  develops  its  best 
music  after  a  great  turmoil — a  war." 

So  you  see  we  are  just  ready  to  do  big  things  in  the  develop- 
ment of  a  most  vital  thing,  which  is  more  than  an  'art.'  There  had 
to  be  something  to  touch  the  MASSES.  Mr.  Tremaine,  evolved 
the  thought  of  having  a  Contest  to  arouse  the  interest  of  the  com- 
munities and  develop  an  appreciation  of  music  in  the  cnildren. 
It  has  been  adopted  as  a  mighty  National  Campaign,  with  ever 
increasing  interest  being  manifested  by  all  the  states  of  the  Union. 
Briefly  this  is  the  idea  of  the  Memory  Contest.  For  a  given 
time,  usually  six  weeks  the  first  time,  (later  the  work  often  ex- 
tends throughout  the  year  with  final  tests  at  the  end  of  the  term 
just  as  any  other  examination) — all  the  children  of  the  city  at- 
tempt to  become  so  familiar  with  a  list  of  compositions  of  standard 
composers  that  they  will  be  able  to  name  them  when  they  hear 
them  and  give  the  name  of  the  composer. 

Certificates  of  Merit  are  given  to  all  who  score  a  grade  of  70 
or  over  in  a  semi-final  test  which  takes  place  in  the  various  schools, 
and  is  given  according  to  the  needs  of  that  school.  It  usually  in- 
cludes the  playing  of  parts  of  twenty  numbers  from  the  list  which 
has  not  less  than  thirty  for  study  (the  average  Is  fifty  numbers). 
The  score  is  usually  3  points  for  correct  naming  of  the  composition 
and  2  points  for  naming  the  composer.  Certificates  of  HONOR 
are  awarded  those  scoring  100  in  the  final  test,  which  is  in  the 
form  of  a  big  Concert  in  some  large  auditorium  or  theatre. 

The  City  Music  Supervisor  together  with  representatives  of 
Music  Clubs  and  the  Community  Service  Bureau  usually  form  the 
working  committee,  inviting  such  others  as  are  needed  to  make  it 
a  big  civic  affair. 

The  grades  usually  taking  part  in  the  actual  test  are  from  the 
fifth  upward  including  the  high  schools. 

The  information  contained  herein  is  to  suggest  ways  and  means 
of  correlating  Music  Memory  Contests  with  the  regular  school 


subjects,  in  a  definite  educational  way.  Also  to  form  an  intro- 
ductory music  appreciation  help  which  may  be  the  only  work  of  its 
kind  done  throughout  the  year,  or  may  preceed,  become  a  part  of,  or 
supplement  the  regular  school  work  in  sight  singing,  and  Music 
Appreciation  courses. 

Remember  that  this  is  a  National  Movement — plan  for  annual 
improvement. 

We  are  including  more  compositions  than  we  suggest  your 
using  the  first  time.  We  hope  the  variety  will  show  the  possibili- 
ties of  many  compositions,  as  well  as  enable  different  cities  to  adopt 
the  list  to  their  particular  needs. 


CHAPTER  II 

SELECTING  THE  MST 

In  selecting  the  compositions  for  the  list  of  study,  keep  in 
mind  the  often  overlooked  fact  that  too  much  music  of  exactly 
the  same  emotional  appeal  is  like  having  a  meal  of  seventeen 
pieces  of  custard  pie.  Be  careful  of  your  musical  menu.  This 
contest  is  not  only  for  young  musical  geniuses,  but  also  to  interest 
those  children  who  have  probably  never  heard  good  music  and 
those  who  very  candidly  express  a  preference  for  the  Jazz  of  today. 
It  is  eventually  to  reach  every  child  in  every  school  in  America. 
Exclude  no  one.  Don't  steal  a  child's  birthright.  No  loss  can  be 
more  keenly  felt  with  increasing  regret  as  the  years  accumulate, 
than  the  lack  of  appreciation  of  real  music  of  the  Masters.  A  care- 
ful cultivation  in  this  line  in  childhood  often  means  the  develop- 
ment of  a  performer  as  well  as  that  of  a  listener. 

For  a  concrete  example  of  hew  to  select  the  list  to  meet  the 
needs  of  a  musical  diet — Humoresque,  Traumerei,  Melody  in  F, 
Spring  Song,  Ave  Maria,  and  the  Swan  are  all  soft,  slow,  sweet 
music,  with  no  especially  tangible  story  and  little  opportunity  to 
ask  for  any  certain  response  from  the  child,  throughout  the  playing 
of  the  composition.  The  raising  of  hands  at  certain  places  and 
motions  is  one  of  the  direct  ways  of  showing  a  class  that  you  expect 
certain  signals  to  prove  what  they  are  hearing.  Active  response 
is  essential  to  active  listening  on  the  part  of  those  beginning  to 
learn  to  listen  to  music.  In  the  few  suggested  above  we  have 
the  type  of  music  to  which  we  have  listened  for  so  long,  as  one 
listens  to  rain  on  a  roof  when  we  have  gone  to  bed  on  the  sleeping 
porch.  It  serves  to  start  a  channel  of  calm  thought.  We  drift — 
anywhere.  This  is  splendid  out  of  school.  But  most  unfortunate 
IN  school,  except  during  relaxing  periods  or  when  the  children 
are  expected  to  write  an  imaginary  composition  with  the  theme 
built  around  the  impression  created  by  the  music  heard. 

This  is  the  type  of  music  to  put  primary  children  to  sleep;  to 
calm  tired  nerves;  to  feed  to  lovers.  But  a  red-blooded,  active, 
teen-age  boy  needs  some  of  the  active  music  with  this  custard  pie 
kind. 

For  instance,  Danse  Macabre,  Tailor  and  the  Bear,  Anitras 
Dance,  Hall  of  the  Mountain  King,  Festival  of  Bagdad  from  Sche- 
herazade, Hungarian  Rhapsodie  No.  2,  Rockozy  March,  etc.  These 


not  only  have  opportunity  for  physical  response  but  have  dash  and 
brilliancy.  Try  to  combine  these  two  types.  Two  numbers  be- 
tween these  two  extremes  are  Narcissus  and  Invitation  to  the  Dance. 

The  slogan  of  the  Campaign  is  "Familiar  Music  is  popular 
Music,"  for  this  reason  we  feel  that  we  will  best  remember  the 
composition  if  we  become  acquainted  with  the  composers  even,  tho 
thru  the  printed  page.  The  impossibility  of  shaking  hands  with 
Washington  does  not  prevent  our  feeling  of  companionable  acquain- 
tance with  his  life  and  ideals.  So  it  is  with  composers. 

In  forming  your  list,  try  to  include  composers  of  as  many  na- 
tions as  possible,  and  of  as  many  periods  of  time. 

There  should  be  at  least  thirty  numbers.     Fifty  is  the  average. 

Children  learn  quicker  than  adults. 

See  that  the  compositions  are  those  which  are  on  records,  for 
without  this  there  would  be  no  way  for  the  masses  to  study  them. 
Call  on  your  local  dealer  and  submit  your  list.  See  if  he  can  sup- 
ply the  numbers  and  will  order  them.  Let  him  know  in  time. 
Delay  may  tie  up  your  contest  plans,  and  cause  a  panic  and  disap- 
pointment to  the  children. 

Six  weeks  is  the  average  time  allotted  to  a  contest.  'Success- 
ful contests  can  be  handled  in  three  and  even  two  weeks,  if  properly 
directed.  For  your  convenience  we  suggest  that  you  divide  the  list 
into  sections  to  study  certain  numbers  each  week.  System  simplifies 
work  and  encourages  children  as  well  as  causing  a  uniform  develop- 
ment throughout  the  city.  Scattered  efforts  bring  scattered  results. 
Study  according  to  period,  or  Nationality,  or  program  balance. 

Observing  these  suggestions,  unhesitatingly  make  the  list  more 
difficult  than  the  average  adult  imagines  within  the  child's  possi- 
bilities. Do  not  try  to  include  all  the  numbers  of  which  one  might 
say,  "Everyone  should  know  this".  Omit  some  of  the  general 
favorites.  This  Contest  will  start  the  habit  of  correctly  naming 
what  one  hears  and  will  in  <this  way  take  care  of  the  overlooked 
popular  gems. 

The  majority  of  the  compositions  of  the  list  should  be  dis- 
tinctive orchestrations,  with  only  enough  songs,  if  any,  to  give  the 
children  opportunity  to  sing,  hum,  and  whistle  the  melodies,  and 
serve  as  a  connecting  link  from  the  known  to  the  new. 

Symphonic  numbers  may  be  so  distinctive  that  they  are  readily 
recognized  whether  one  can  hum  the  theme  "or  not. 

One  of  the  greatest  musical  values  of  a  contest  of  this  kind  is 
the  development  of  conscious  listening  when  children  are  directed 
to  anticipate  the  definite  part  to  be  taken  by  various  instruments. 
The  children's  keen  interest  and  response,  as  they  feel  the  person- 
ality of  these  instruments,  is  always  proof  that  it  is  quite  within 
the  child's  appreciation — altho  the  full  significance  will  come  later. 


CHAPTER  III. 

SUGGESTIONS   FOB   THE  GUIDANCE  OP   COMMITTEE 
AND  TEACHERS 

After  the  list  has  been  chosen  there  are  two  lines  of  develop- 
ment:— Out  of  the  School — In  the  School. 

I. — 1.  Out  of  School  you  have  the  co-operation  of  the  movies, 
for  slide  announcements  and  orchestras  to  play  the  numbers  each 
week. 

2.  Orchestras  of  hotels  and  tea  houses  and  candy  stores,  etc. 

3.  The  Music   Clubs   often   sponsor  home  talent  at  Saturday 
Concerts. 

4.  Neighborhood    parties,    where    games    consist    of    spelling 
matches  using  names   of  the  composers;    matches   where   one   side 
announces  the  name  of  a  composer  and  the  other  side  must  res- 
pond by  his  composition,  or  vice  versa.     To  get  partners  for  the 
refreshments,   hostess  may  prepare   quotations  with   the  first  half 
for  boys,  and  last  half  for  girls,  and  he  must  find  her  by  knowing 
the   rest   of   his   musical   quotation   or   statement.     For   example — 
"Bach  was  called" — "The  Father  of  Modern  Music";    "Chopin  was 
to  the  Pianoforte" — "What  Longfellow  was  to  Poetry". 

There  may  be  whistling  contests,  one  side  whistle  a  melody,  the 
other  side  name  it.  This  is  interesting  during  refreshments.  The 
refreshments  may  be  made  to  represent  some  nation,  or  some  per- 
iod. And  of  course  there  must  be  MUSIC  at  the  party.  And  Music 
of  the  List. 

5.  Have   children    keep   note   books,    with    several   pages    for 
each    composer.     Perry   Pictures   may   be   had    for    a   penny.     The 
committee    should    see   that    the    book   store    has    a   supply    ready. 
Accumulate  news  from  the  paper,  from  the  magazines  and  Record 
Catalogues. 

6.  Have  the  newspapers  print  stories  concerning  local  develop- 
ments of  the  contests,  the  parties  and  school  teams.     Also  stories  of 
the  compositions.     These  the  children  will  clip  and  paste  in  their 
note  books. 

7.  See   that   the   newsboys    know   what   days    to    call    special 
Music  Memory  News. 

8.  Your   Librarian    will   probably   have    some    musical    story 
hours  for  you. 

9.  Talk  of  the  contest.     'Compare  notes  with  your  neighbor. 

10.  Hear  the  numbers  at  your  music  dealers. 


II.      IN    THE    SCHOOL. 

This  contest  is  not  to  be  a  wild  scramble  for  surface  informa- 
tion and  prizes.  Every  subject  studied  in  the  school  must  be  for 
a  very  definite  educational  purpose.  A  Music  Memory  Contest  may 
be  one  of  the  vital  subjects  of  the  curriculum  if  educationally  used 
and  not  allowed  to  be  a  mere  concert  or  a  feeding  of  one's  emo- 
tions. Music  should  be  a  matter  of  brains  as  well  as  general  char- 
acter building. 

9 


Music  should  create  an  intelligent  interest  in  every  other  sub- 
ject. Vitilize  the  three  R's  and  round  out  an  education  by  bring- 
ing the  often  diversified  subjects,  History,  Geography  and  Literature 
to  a  focal  point  and  welding  the  parts  into  a  complete  living  whole. 

Music  has  been  considered  the  "Universal  Language".  Have 
you  considered — what  would  the  world  be  like  if  there  were  no 
Music?  Think  this  over  a  few  minutes — has  there  ever  been  a  time 
in  history  when  the  human  race  has  not  craved  music  and  attempt- 
ed in  some  way,  by  some  kind  of  instrument  to  satisfy  this  craving? 

Next  consider:  Why  is  the  music  of  Scotland's  Highlands  more 
sturdy  and  vigorous  than  the  music  of  Italy?  Does  geography 
have  anything  to  do  with  this?  Certainly!  (Mrs.  Max  Obendorfer, 
Chairman  General  Federated  Clubs  of  America,  has  a  most  excellent 
book  on  this  subject  of  Nationality  in  Music.) 

Isn't  war  the  usual  thing  to  change  the  boundaries  of  a  na- 
tion? Doesn't  every  nation  have  its  martial  music?  Has  music 
ever  helped  win  a  war?  Then  doesn't  music  have  a  part  in  his- 
tory? (All  this  by  way  of  remembrance.) 

Aside  from  martial  music,  hasn't  the  turmoil  or  lethargy  of  a 
nation  or  period,  caused  certain  musical  geniuses  to  write  composi- 
tions and  songs  which  have  so  gripped  the  people  that  they  have 
been  spurred  on  to  greater  accomplishments?  The  spirit  of  the 
music  has  caused  literature  of  great  beauty.  And  beautiful  litera- 
ture has  been  set  to  music  to  give  it  greater  life.  How  closely  they 
intertwine! 

Geography,  History  and  Literature. — Geopgraphical  conditions 
effect  the  music  of  a  nation;  music  effects  the  people;  people  make 
history  and  commerce.  If  music  is  an  insight  into  a  nation, 
shouldn't  our  future  American  business  men  know  more  of  the 
music  of  all  the  nations? 


Recently  in  a  certain  school  where  the  last,  quiet  number  was 
following  the  active  listening  lesson,  the  children  were  told  to  listen 
to  what  the  music  had  to  WHISPER  to  them. 

After  a  moment  of  perfect  calm,  a  third  grade  lad  in  the  rear 
of  the  room  suddenly  jumped  from  his  seat,  and  striding  swiftly  to 
the  teachers  desk,  threw  thereon  a  pocket  book. 

"There,  take  your  old  pocket-book!"  he  quiveringly  exclaimed, 
"I  didn't  want  it  anyhow!" 

At  recess  when  teacher  drew  Tony  to  her,  in  the  companionable 
way  which  draws  forth  confidences,  he  made  this  statement:  "That 
music  was  so  darn  sweet  I  couldn't  keep  the  packet-book,  an'  that's 
all!" 

"Does  music  lift  the  morale  of  a  Nation?"  The  right  music 
does.  Are  we  going  to  let  America  drift  into  the  degradation  of 
Jazz? 

Music  Memory  Contests  arouse  a  real  interest  in  real  music, 
and  by  a  directed  educational  use  of  this  opportunity,  the  masses 
of  our  school  children  may  be  developed  in  the  art  of  "how  to 
listen  to  music." 

Having  thoroughly  caught  the  vision  of  the  possibilities  of 
such  a  contest,  let  the  teacher  see  that  throughout  the  time  alloted 
for  the  contest  "all  roads  lead  to  Rome". 

10 


Suppose  your  class  in  history  or  geography  is  studying  the 
land  of  Mesopotamia.  "Did  you  know  that  Bagdad  was  between  the 
Euphraties  and  Tigres  Rivers?,  etc."  Other  suggestions  come  un- 
der the  division  of  "Events  in  America"  and  give  further  evidence 
of  this  work. 

Suppose  your  history  class  is  studying  the  time  of  Napoleon. 
Did  you  know  that  Beethoven  lived  when  Napoleon  did  and  so  ad- 
mired him  that  he  started  a  symphony  describing  the  character  of 
Napoleon?  But  when  Napoleon  became  a  general,  he  so  disap- 
pointed Beethoven  who  thought  an  ideal  man  would  not  work  for 
personal  honors  instead  of  the  great  good  of  the  cause,  that  Bee- 
thoven tore  up  the  title  page  and  the  Symphony  is  now  called  the 
"Eroica".  Have  we  anything  on  our  list  by  Beethoven?  Yes, 
"Minuet  in  G",  etc. 

Aside  from  the  correlation,  let  us  consider  a  requisite  of  a  good 
student,  and  a  good  American.  A  THINKER!  There  can  be  no 
real  student  who  can  not  concentrate.  The  business  world  is  look- 
ing for  those  who  can  respond  promptly,  as  well  as  think  correctly. 
Active  listening  and  accurate  response  to  music  will  develop  a  more 
brilliant  mentality.  Educationally  directed  Music  Appreciation  ob- 
serves the  significance  of  the  importance  of  "Attention,  Concentra- 
tion, Participation,  Response."  Acquiring  this  thru  music,  pre- 
pares a  mind  for  other  subjects. 

One  might  say,  "Think,  Mary!  Study!"  But,  poor  Mary  does 
NOT  know  HOW!  Or  imagine  watching  the  results  of  a  child  as 
he  pores  over  a  chapter  in  history.  Do  you  think  he  knows  it  until 
he  proves  it  by  telling  you  in  recitation?  If  you  assign  a  problem, 
does  the  mere  statement  that  he  understands  it,  make  you  say, 
"Then  never  mind  your  figures"?  In  Music  Appreciation  do  you 
say,  "Now  children  be  perfectly  quiet,  we  are  going  to  have  some 
music",  and  then  you  put  on  a  "record"?  Why  not,  sometimes, 
make  them  prove  what  they  are  hearing,  and  see  how  they  are  in- 
terpreting the  music?  Proof  in  music  is  a  step  beyond  all  other 
response,  because — with  the  geography  or  history  recitation  they 
may  hem  and  haw  about  it  and  stand  for  a  few  seconds  accumulat- 
ing ideas  on  the  subject,  but  with  MUSIC  they  must  act  instantly 
or  they  are  too  late  for  any  correct  response.  In  such  cases  as  the 
"Whirlwind",  for  instance.  If  children  have  been  asked  to  put  up 
their  hand  every  time  the  whirl  shoots  things  UP  and  they  do  not 
put  their  hand  up  as  swiftly  as  a  wind  can  whirl,  one  can  see  that 
they  will  have  to  think  faster! 

Work  for  active  response.  Here  is  another  suggestion.  Pre- 
sent the  story  to  the  "Invitation  to  the  Waltz",  as  follows:  — 

Back  in  the  time  when  people  wore  powdered  hair  and  panniered 
skirts,  knee  breeches  and  silver  buckles,  a  musician  named  Von 
Weber,  went  to  a  wonderful  ball,  where  he  saw  an  opera  singer, 
Caroline.  He  had  wanted  to  meet  her  for  some  time.  'She  had 
heard  of  him  too!  Approaching  her  he  made  a  long,  low  bow,  and 
asked  her  to  dance  with  him,  but  she,  being  really  interested, 
couldn't  accept  the  first  time — so  she  thanked  him  and  declined 
He  asked  again,  and  she  was  so  glad  to  find  hjm  honestly  anxious, 
that  her  voice  was  all  a-flutter  with  excitement,  but  still  she  couldn't 
possibly!  He  insisted  as  they  strolled  along  the  ball  room.  They 
heard  the  orchestra  tune  up,  he  asked  her  again — and — this  time — 
she  accepted! 

They  had  such  a  lovely  dance  that  they  fell  in  love  (and  mar- 
ried!) A  few  months  after  they  were  married,  Von  Weber  decided 

11 


to  write  a  story  in  memory  of  the  waltz  they  had  so  enjoyed.  Of 
course  a  musician's  stories  are  in  music,  and  certain  instruments 
often  represent  people,  so  this  time  the  baritone  voice  of  the  'cello 
is  the  man  and  the  soprano  voice  of  the  violin  is  the  lady. 

Suggest  that  all  the  boys  in  the  room  hold  up  their  hand  every 
time  the  'cello'  baritone  talks,  and  the  girls  every  time  the  lady  is 
heard.  Have  every  one  put  up  both  hands  when  she  says  "Yes". 
Thus  you  can  see  how  they  are  listening. 

Whenever  possible  make  the  class  go  thru  evidence  of  rhythm. 
Sometimes  suggest  motions,  sometimes  leave  it  to  their  originality. 
It  does  not  always  need  to  be  swaying.  In  the  "Eighth  Symphony" 
number  of  the  list,  try  pointing  to  one  row  after  another  and  let 
them  click  like  a  metronome  with  their  mouth.  If  you  keep  before 
the  class  the  need  of  proving  to  you  by  some  motion,  etc.,  you  will 
never  find  them  too  grown-up  to  try  to  prove  that  their  ears,  and 
their  brains  are  as  good  as  the  next  one's! 

With  such  compositions  as  "The  Swan",  "To  a  Wild  Rose", 
"Melody  in  F",  etc.,  draw  out  from  the  class,  by  careful  questions,  a 
comparison,  and  locate  the  distinctive  points  of  difference.  Make 
discoveries  possible  on  the  part  of  the  class.  Their  contribution  is 
sure  to  interest  them. 

Every  one  loves  to  have  a  few  things  left  to  discover  for  one's 
self.  For  this  same  reason  there  will  be  no  more  details  here. 

Use  the  children's  hands.  Use  the  blackboard,  even  if  only  to 
make  a  check  at  a  certain  instant,  according  to  previously  dis- 
cussed signals.  Let  the  children  enter  INTO  the  music. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

PHRASES  PERTINENT  TO  COMPOSERS 

Oftimes  a  pertinent  phrase  helps  to  establish  a  definite  fact  in 
the  mind— hence  these  suggested  phrases — 

Bach — "The  Father  of  Modern  Music." 

Handel — "The  Father  of  Oratorio." 

Haydn — "The  Father  of  the  Symphony." 

Mozart — "The  Boy  Wonder  of  the  Music  World." 

Beethoven — "The  Master  Genius." 

Schubert — "The  Greatest  of  Song  Writers."  Tomb  reads, 
"Music  hath  buried  here  a  rich  treasure,  but  still  richer  hopes." 

Mendelssohn — "The  Melodist  of  Leipsic." 

Chopin — "The  Poet  of  the  Pianoforte." 

Schumann — "The   Great  Romanticist." 

Liszt — "Liszt  the  versatile." — Composer,  performer,  producer,, 
teacher,  writer,  man  of  the  world. 

AVagner — "Creator  of  the  Music  Drama." 

Verdi — "Founder  of  the  Modern  Italian  School  of  Opera." 

Rubenstein — "Founder  of  Russian  School  of  Music." 

12 


CHAPTER  V. 
UST  OF  COMPOSITIONS 

INSTRUMENTAL 

Air  for  G  String „ _ .Bach 

Anitra's  Dance  vtrieg 

Bee,  The  _ „. , „ Franz  Schubert 

Blue  Danube  Waltz  Johann  Strauss 

Cappriccio  Valse  _ „ _ Wieniawski 

Chanson  Indoue  ._ Rimsky-Korsakoff 

Danse  Macabre  _ Saint  Saens 

Eighth  Symphony    (Third  Movement) Beethoven 

Gavotte  ( Mignon )   _ Thomas 

Hall  of  the  Mountain  King Grieg 

Hungarian  Rhapsody  No.  2 _ Jjiszt 

Humoresque   Dvorak 

In  a  Three  Horse  Sleigh -.Tschaikowsky 

Introduction  and  Tarantelle  _ ~ _ _ Saraste 

Invitation  to  the  Waltz  Weber 

Kamennoi-Ostrow  _ „ — _ Rubenstein 

Liebestraum    Liszt 

Marche  Minature  _ . Tschaikowsky 

Melody  in  F  Rubenstetn 

Midsummer's  Night's  Dream  Overture _ _ ....Mendelssohn 

Minuet  in  G Beethoven 

Minute  Waltz  _ _ _ Chopin 

Moment  Musical  Schubert 

Morning    ( Peer  Gynt) ....... „ _ Grieg 

Narcissus  Nevin 

New  World  Symphony   (Largo) _ .-. - Dvorak 

Nocturne  in  E  Fat „ _ -- Chopin 

Poet  and  Peasant  Overture Von  Suppe 

Pomp  and  Circumstance Elgar 

Prelude  in  C  sharp  Minor Rachmaninoff 

Rakoczy  March „« Berlioz 

Salut  d'  Amour -- Elgar 

Scheherezade  (Festival  of  Bagdad) ...Rimsky-Korsakoff 

Serenade  : Moskowski 

Serenade  — ~ Schubert 

Souvenir  Drdla 

Spring  Song  - _ Mendelssohn 

Surprise  Symphony  (Second  Movement) Haydn 

Symphony  in  B  Minor  (Unfinished) Schubert 

The  Swan  Saint  Saens 

13 


To  a  Wild  Rose McDowell 

Traumerei  _ Schumann 

Turkish  March Beethoven 

Tailor  and  Bear McDowell 

Whirlwind  Krantz 

SONGS 

All  Though  the  Night Old  Welsh 

Au  Clair  de  La  Lune French  Folk 

Berceuse  from  Jocelyn  Goddard 

Come  Where  My  Love  Lies  Dreaming Foster 

Drink  to  Me  Only  Johnson 

From  the  Land  of  the  Sky  Blue  Water Cadman 

Hark,  Hark  the  Lark  Schubert 

John  Peel Old  English 

Lo,  Here  the  Gentle  Lark Shakespeare-Bishop 

Mighty  Lak'  a  Rose Nevin 

O  Sole  Mio  Italian  Folk 

Santa  Lucia  ...Neapolitan  Folk 

Song  of  the  Volga  Boatman Russian 

Swing  Low  Sweet  Chariot Negro 

La  Paloma  „ Spanish 

Funiculi    Italian 

Cradle  Song Mozart 

GRAND  OPERA 

Giaconda Ponchielli 

Dance  of  the  Hours. 

II  Trovatore Verdi 

Anvil   Chorus. 

Home  to  Our  Mountain. 

Lucia  de  Lammermoor  Donizetti 

Sextette. 

Martha Flotoic 

Last  Rose  of  Summer. 
Goodnight  Chorus. 

Rigoletto  Verdi 

Quartette. 

Tales  of  Hoffman Offenbach 

Barcarolle. 

Walkure Wagner 

Ride  of  the  Valkyries. 

William  Tell  Rossini 

Overture. 


14 


CHAPTER  VI. 

CORRELATING  WITH  AMERICAN  HISTORY 

(By    courtesy    of    Thomas    Tapper,    whose    hook.     "First    Studies    in.    Music 
Biography,"   is  sure  to  interest  you.) 

BACH,  JOHANN  SEBASTIAN  (1685-175O) 

If  Johann  Sebastian  Bach  could  have  visited  America  in  his  boy- 
hood he  would  have  found  New  York  a  busy  place  of  four  thousand 
people.  He  would  have  learned  that  a  few  years  before,  William 
Penn  met  the  Indians  beneath  a  great  elm  tree  that  grew  beside  the 
Delaware  River,  bought  land  of  them,  and  made  with  them  a  treaty 
of  peace  and  good  will.  The  next  year  he  laid  out  a  capitol  city  for 
the  colony,  naming  it  Philadelphia. 

Had  Sebastian  visited  Boston  when  he  was  seven  years  old,  he 
would  have  found  all  the  Massachusetts  colony  in  a  state  of  ex- 
citement, for  in  that  year,  the  people,  especially  in  Salem,  became 
possessed  of  the  thought  that  witches  were  about.  A  number  of 
persons  accused  of  witchcraft,  were  executed. 
HAYDN,  FRANZ  JOSEPH  (1732-1809) 

Franz  Joseph  Haydn  was  born  March  31,  1732,  a  few  days  after 
the  birth  of  George  Washington.  He  lived  ten  years  after  Wash- 
ington's death.  Within  the  period  of  his  life  there  were  living 
Bach,  Handel,  Scarlatti,  Mozart,  Beethoven,  Hummel,  Cherubini, 
Weber,  and  Schubert,.  Mendelssohn  was  born  in  the  year  of 
Haydn's  death.  There  also  lived  during  his  lifetime  many  men  dis- 
tinguished in  arts,  letters  and  statecraft  among  them  Franklin, 
Washington,  Scott,  Burns,  Johnson,  Goethe,  Wordsworth,  Rousseau, 
and  the  inventor  Arkwright.  In  the  period  of  Haydn's  life  the  world 
was  experiencing  some  remarkable  changes.  The  birth  of  the  Amer- 
ican Republic;  the  French  Revolution;  brilliant  advances  in  arts, 
literature,  and  science;  and  the  advent  of  Napoleon,  are  alone  suffi- 
cient to  make  the  time  memorable. 
MOZART,  WOLiFGANG  ARMADEUS  (1756-1791) 

Mozart's  life  was  included  within  that  of  Haydn,  who  was 
twenty-four  years  old  when  Mozart  was  born,  and  who  lived  for 
eighteen  years  after  Mozart's  death.  Hence  George  Washington 
was  twenty-four  years  old  at  the  time  of  Mozart's  birth,  for  he  and 
Joseph  Haydn  were  born  in  the  same  year.  Washington  lived  eight 
years  after  the  death  of  Mozart.  Hence  we  may  picture  the  great 
American  as  reaching  the  height  of  his  fame  in  the  years  of  Mozart's 
life.  Mozart  knew  Haydn  intimately.  He  knew  Beethoven  as  a 
youth  and  predicted  his  greatness.  Bach,  he  could  not  have  known, 
for  Bach  died  six  years  before  Mozart's  birth.  Nor  did  Mozart 
know  Handel,  being  but  three  years  old  when  Handel  died  in  Lon- 
don. But  in  his  manhood  he  once  played  at  the  Thomas  school 
on  the  organ  at  which  Bach  so  often  presided.  He  knew  "The 
Messiah"  well  and  wrote  additional  accompaniments  to  it;  and  like 
all  others  who  succeeded  him,  he  paid  tribute  to  the  two  great  mas- 
ters who  stand  at  the  head  of  German  music  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury, Bach  and  Handel. 
BEETHOVEN,  L.UDWIG  VAN  (1770-1827) 

This  composer,  known  as  the  greatest  master  of  the  classic 
school  of  composition,  was  born  December  16,  1770.  Looking  back 
upon  the  men  whose  careers  we  have  thus  far  studied,  we  see  that 
at  this  time: 

I.     Sebastian  Bach  had  been  dead  for  twenty  years. 
II.     George  Freidrich  Handel  had  been  dead  for  eleyen  years. 

15 


III.  Joseph  Haydn  was  living,  thirty-eight  years  of  age,  and  in 
service  with  the  Esterhazy  family. 

IV.  Wolfgang  Amadeus  Mozart  was  living,  fourteen  years  of 
age,  had  traveled  extensively,  was  renowned  throughout  Europe  as 
a  composer  of  the  most  unusual  brilliancy  and  promise  and  at  the 
time  in  question,  December  16,  1770,  was  in  Italy. 

Two  great  masters  had,  therefore,  passed  away  and  two  more 
were  living. 

What  had  happened  in  America  in  this  same  period;  and  what 
was  the  condition  at  the  time  of  Beethoven's  birth?  The  glimpse 
which  we  imagined  Sebastian  Bach  to  have  had  of  our  country,  had 
he  visited  it  in  his  boyhood,  made  us  acquainted  somewhat  with  the 
condition  of  the  now  three  great  cities,  New  York,  Philadelphia  and 
Boston.  In  the  time  between  then  and  1770  we  learn  that: 

I.  The  Treaty  of  Utrecht  was  concluded  in   1713,   and  by  it 
many  French  claims  in  America  were  ceded  to  England.     The  land 
of  Evangeline,  then  known  as  Arcadia,  became  an  English  possession 
and  was  named  Nova  Scotia. 

II.  The  last  English  colony  in  America  arrived  in  1732,  and 
founded  the  city  of  Savannah,  Georgia.     Incidentally,  we  remember 
that  in  this  same  year,  1732,  George  Washington  and  Joseph  Haydn 
were  born. 

III.  In  1753  George  Washington,  then  a  youth  of  twenty-one, 
was  sent  by  Governor  Dinwiddle  of  Virginia  to  Logstown,  on  the 
Ohio  River,  to  deliver  a  letter  to  the  French  commander  there,  to 
ascertain  the  strength  of  the  French,  and  in  general  to  keep  his  eyes 
open  and  report  on  what  he  saw. 

IV.  The    battles    of    Ticonderoga,    Crown    Point,    Braddock's 
defeat,  and  Wolfe's  capture  at  Quebec  are  outstanding  events.     Last- 
ly, it  is  interesting  to  know  what  events  of  great  moment  took  place 
in  the  years  of  Beethoven's  life,  that  is  from  1770  to  1827. 

I.      The  battles  of  Concord,  Lexington  and  Bunker  Hill. 
II.     The  signing  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 

III.  The  adoption  by  the  United  States  of  a  flag. 

IV.  The  election  of  the  first  President  of  the  United  States. 
V.     The  War  of  1812. 

VI.  The  appearance  of  the  log  cabin  "in  the  west,"  carrying 
civilization  ever  nearer  and  nearer  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

VII.     The  building  of  the  Erie  Canal. 
VIII.     The  election  of  five  presidents  of  the  United  States. 

In  the  days  of  the  first  Continental  Congress,  of  the  Boston  Tea 
Party,  and  of  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  little  Ludwig  Van  Beethoven 
was  a  child  in  his  native  town  of  Bonn,  on  the  Rhine. 
SCHUBERT,  FRANZ  PETER  (1797-1828) 

John  Adams  was  inaugurated  second  President  of  the  United 
States  thirty-two  days  after  the  birth  of  Franz  Peter  Schubert, 
which  event  occurred  on  the  thirty-first  of  January  of  the  year  1797. 
Today  there  may  be  seen,  in  the  Nussdorferstrasse,  in  Vienne, 
reached  in  a  few  minutes  from  the  Maximilianplatz  by  car,  a  long, 
low  house,  of  two  stories.  Over  the  door  there  is  a  poor  little 
weather-stained  bust,  a  few  inches  high,  of  a  man  with  thick  shaggy 
hair,  and  a  homely  spectacled  face,  and  near  it  one  reads:  "Franz 
Schubert's  Geburtsaus." 

MENDELSSOHN,  JACOB  IAJDWIG  FEMX  (18O9-1847) 

During  the  years  of  Mendelssohn's  life,  1809-1847,  the  United 
States  passed  through  a  time  of  growth  and  turbulence  that  in- 
creased its  territory  and  produced  some  remarkable  men.  A  map  of 
our  country,  say  in  1810,  displays  a  few  states.  The  Northwest  was 

16 


disputed  land,  the  United  States  claiming  the  basin  of  the  Columbia 
River  by  right  of  discovery.  South  of  this,  between  the  Rocky 
Mountains  and  the  Pacific  Ocean,  there  was  a  great  stretch  of  coun- 
try belonging  to  Spain  which  today  is  known  as  California  and  its 
neighboring  states.  Texas  was  in  dispute  between  Spain  and  the 
United  States.  East  from  this,  extended  not  the  present  states  on 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  but  the  territory  of  Spanish  Florida. 

When  Mendelssohn  was  nine  days  old,  Abraham  Lincoln  was 
born.  A  few  years  later  the  fourth  president  of  the  United  States 
took  the  oath  of  office.  During  Mendelssohn's  life-time  there  served 
as  presidents:  Madison,  Monroe,  Adams,  Jackson,  Van  Buren, 
Harrison,  Tyler  and  Polk.  In  Congress,  Clay,  Calhoun  and  Web- 
ster were  prominent.  But  the  country  manifested  its  most  wonder- 
ful changes  in  means  of  transportation,  in  the  settlement  of  the  west, 
and  consequently  in  its  general  social  development.  The  Erie  Canal 
was  opened,  the  first  railway  train  appeared,  and  rivers  were  navi- 
gated. A  print  of  1810  picturing  the  Ohio  River  at  Cincinnati, 
shows  a  boat  in  command  of  a  man  who  stands  holding  the  tiller. 
He  wears  a  tall  hat.  Instead  of  a  flourishing  city  as  we  find  now, 
there  is  a  group  of  houses  on  a  hillside,  with  open  country  possess- 
ing, no  doubt,  many  more  trees  than  the  engraver  could  conveniently 
show  in  the  picture.  Foreign  relations  were  strained.  Trouble 
with  England  became  acute.  Napoleon,  by  an  outright  deception, 
captured  many  American  vessels  and  seized  their  cargoes,  worth 
many  millions  of  dollars.  But,  bit  by  bit,  development  was  going 
on,  new  states  were  coming  in,  and  the  country  was  gradually  gain- 
ing that  strength  which  makes  it  today  a  foremost  nation. 

CHOPIN,  FREDERICK  FRANCOIS  (1809-1849) 

The  early  years  of  the  nineteenth  century  gave  birth  to  some 
remarkable  men.  In  music  we  have  already  learned  a  few  great 
names:  Mendelssohn,  Schumann,  Wagner,  Verdi,  and  Franz  Liszt. 
Among  men  of  letters  there  were  in  England,  Macaulay,  Dickens, 
Thackeray,  Tennyson,  Darwin,  and  Browning;  in  America,  Long- 
fellow, Whittier,  Homes,  and  Emerson.  All  these  men  were  born 
between  1800  and  1812.  At  that  time  were  living  Haydn  (until 
1809),  Beethoven  (until  1827),  and  Schubert  (until  1828),  of  the 
older  musicians;  Goethe  (until  1832),  Wordsworth  (until  1850), 
Bryant  (until  1878),  among  writers  of  verse;  and  Scott  (until 
1832),  Cooper  (until  1851),  and  Irving  (until  1859),  among  writers 
of  prose. 

"In  the  year  of  Chopin's  birth,  1809,  some  distinguished  men 
were  born.  It  is  significant  to  mention  these:  Mendelssohn.  Ten- 
nyson, Darwin,  Holmes,  and  Lincoln.  Longfellow,  whose  early 
poems  were  published  in  1839,  just  as  Mendelssohn,  Schumann,  and 
Chopin  were  entering  upon  manhood — was  in  Europe  at  Heidelberg 
during  the  days  when  Thibaut  was  lecturing  there. 

This,  then,  was  one  of  the  many  events  that  were  taking  place 
when  men  whom  today  we  call  "great"  were  boys  and  youths. 
When  they  were  men,  famous  books  like  Vanity  Fair  and  Pen- 
dennis  were  appearing.  Vanity  Fair  came  out  in  1845;  Longfellow's 
Evangeline  in  1847,  the  year  Mendelssohn  died.  Pickwick  Papers 
appeared  in  1836,  the  year  that  Mendelssohn  married,  and  that 
Richard  Wagner  was  conductor  of  an  orchestra  at  Riga. 

WAGNER,  RICHARD  WtLHELM  (1813-1883) 

As  the  works  of  Frederic  Chopin  are  almost  exclusively  for 
the  piano,  so  those  of  Wagner  are  for  the  stage.  He  wrote  a  few 
pieces  for  the  piano  and  a  few  for  the  orchestra,  but  his  work  is 

17 


so  essentially  that  of  a  writer  of  opera  that  all  else  may  be  said  to 
have  no  place  in  an  estimate  of  his  value  as  a  composer. 

Opera  has  been  in  vogue  since  the  year  1600.  In  other  words, 
since  the  settlement  of  the  Plymouth  colony  practically  the  entire 
history  of  opera  has  been  made. 

In  1594,  what  is  generally  termed  in  the  history  of  music,  the 
first  opera,  was  performed  at  the  house  of  Jacope  Corsi.  The  libret- 
to was  by  Ottavio  Caccini.  Peri's  opera  "Euridice"  followed  in  1600. 
The  "new  music,"  as  the  style  of  writing  illustrated  by  these  operas 
was  called,  gained  a  firm  hold  and,  in  the  centuries  to  come,  develop- 
ed remarkably. 

MONTEVERDE,  GLAUDIO  (1567-1643) 

The  great  man,  soon  to  appear,  was  Claudio  Monteverde  (born 
at  Cremona  in  1567,  died  in  Venice  in  1643).  He  was  "the  first 
opera  composer  by  the  grace  of  God,  a  real  musical  genius,  the 
father  of  the  art  of  instrumentation."  In  the  history  of  music  the 
student  will  find  that  the  significant  men  in  opera  after  Monteverde 
are  Alessandro  Scarlatti,  Christoph  Wilibald  Gluck,  Wolfgang  Mo- 
zart, Carl  Maria  von  Weber,  Giuseppe  Verdi,  and  Richard  Wagner. 
Innumerable  writers  of  opera  have  appeared,  but  the  majority  have 
been  willing  followers  of  a  few  leaders.  By  glancing  at  the  period 
covered  by  the  above  names  we  shall  see  that  the  time  from  the  birth 
of  Monteverde  (1567)  to  the  present  is  practically  unbroken. 

Monteverde   1567-1643 

A.  Scarlatti 1659-1725 

Gluck  17 14-1787 

Mozart  1756-1791 

Weber 1786-1826 

Wagner   1813-1883 

Verdi    1813-to  present  day 

Opera  is,  then,  three  hundred  years  old. 

Placing  even  one  occurrence  opposite  each  of  the  above  names 
will  help  us  to  keep  them  in  mind: 

Monteverde,   1567-1643 — Landing   of   the   Pilgrims,   1620. 

Scarlatti,  1659-1725 — Founding  of  Philadelphia,  1682. 

Gluck,  1714-1787 — Battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence. 

Mozart,  1756-1791 — Election  of  the  first  president  of  the  United 
States. 

Weber,  1786-1826 — War  of  1812. 

Wagner,  1813-1883 — First  railway  train  (New  Jersey,  1831). 

Verdi,  1813 — Discovery  of  gold  in  California  (1849),  Civil  wars. 

Once  again,  to  pass  over  the  same  steps: 

During  Monteverde's   lifetime   all   the   plays   of   Shakespeare   ap- 
peared. 

During  Scarlatti's  lifetime  Bunyan's  "Pilgrim's  Progress"  was 
written  and  printed.  The  first  edition  of  Robinson  Crusoe  was  is- 
sued in  1719. 

During  Gluck's  lifetime  Goldsmith's  "Vicar  of  Wakefield,"  John- 
son's "Rasselas",  and  his  dictionary  of  the  English  language  were 
published. 

During  Mozart's  lifetime  most  of  the  poems  of  Robert  Burns  were 
written. 

During  Weber's  lifetime,  the  works  of  Scott  and  Byron  were 
written. 

During  the  lifetime  of  Wagner  and  Verdi  the  works  of  Dickens, 
Thackeray,  George  Eliot,  Tennyson,  Browning,  Longfellow,  Emer- 
son, Whittier  and  Holmes  appeared. 

18 


CHAPTER  VII. 

STORIES  AND  INCIDENTS 

Some  insist  that  we  destroy  the  beauty  of  a  composition  by 
too  definite  a  story;  others  ask  for  a  more  definite  story.  As  adults 
we  must  have  our  music  an  indefinite  thing  of  the  emotions,  but  as 
children  we  must  have  it  so  definite  that  we  can  suggest  and  expect 
certain  things  to  be  heard  and  reported.  The  extmrifinp.es  of  the 
years  will  add  beauty  to  the  little  melodies  of  the  compositions  to 
which  we  attached  a  story  in  the  days  of  "beginning  to  listen." 

Rubenstein  has  said,  "I  am  for  the  program  that  has  to  be 
guessed  and  to  be  poetized  into  the  composition,  not  for  the  pro- 
gram given  along  with  it — I  am  convinced  that  every  composer 
not  merely  writes  notes  in  some  key  or  tempo  and  rhythm,  but 
lays  into  his  composition  psychical  mood- — i.  e.,  a  program,  in  the 
justifiable  hope  that  the  performer  and  the  hearer  will  apprehend 
this  grogram." 

Thru  a  definite  story  we  lead  a  child  to  the  secrets  of  the  com- 
posers in  telling  them  "that  intangible  something"  which  really  no 
words  could  ever  tell,  for  "music  begins  where  the  spoken  word 
leaves  off." 

INSTRUMENTAL. 

AIR  FOR  G  STRING  (35656)  BACH 

This  "air"  is  considered  one  of  the  most  beautiful  melodies 
ever  written.  In  its  original  form  it  was  the  second  movement  of 
Bach's  Suite  No.  3  in  D  Major,  and  although  the  melody  was  given 
to  the  violins,  it  was  not  confined  to  the  G  strings.  (Wilhelm,  the 
great  violinist,  transposed  the  composition  to  the  key  of  C  Major, 
and  thus  it  was  possible  to  play  it  on  the  G  string  of  the  violin.) 

This  composition  is  one  of  the  most  perfect  examples  of  abso- 
lute music  to  be  found  in  the  entire  literature  of  the  art.  Listen  to 
the  steady,  "plum,  plum"  of  the  great  father  violin  while  the  other 
violins  send  little  soprano  and  alto  melodies  capering  all  around  the 
father — as  though  he  were  keeping  time  for  the  game. 

PEER  GYNT  EDVARD  H.  GRIEG 

Part      I.      "Morning."   (35OO7-35470-35597) 
Part     II.      "The  Death  of  Ase."  (35007-35470-35597) 
Part  HI.     "Anitra's  Dance."   (64768-18042) 
Part   IV.      "In  the  Hall  of  the  Mountain  King."    (18O42) 
These  four  numbers  are  from  the  Peer  Gynt  Suite  by  Edward 
Grieg,  the  greatest  musician  of  Norway.     It  is  the  musical  setting 
to  Ibsen's  drama  of  the  same  name.     Peer  (pronounced  Pair)  was  a 
vagabond  and  during  one  of  his  wanderings  in  a  desert  of  Africa,  a 
company  of  Arabian   silk  merchants  passed  him.     They  had  with 
them  a  dancing  girl,  "Anitra" — who  displayed  her  shimmering  silks 
in  the  sunlight  whirling  before  him,  in  an  Egyptian  type  of  dance. 
You  can  imagine  you  see  her  as  you  listen,  in  the  light,  graceful, 
swift  dance. 

Another  time  Peer  had  wandered  into  the  Mountain  Cave,  or 
"Hall  of  the  Mountain  King,"  and  found  there  strange  looking  little 
people  whom  we  call  Gnomes,  or  Trolls.  They  were  very  ugly,  but 

19 


even  so,  Peer  flirted  with  the  king's  daughter.  Of  course  they  knew 
he  would  not  marry  such  an  ugly  creature;  they  hated  to  have  her 
fall  in  love  with  Peer  and  be  disappointed,  so  they  decided  to  dis- 
pose of  Peer.  They  "put  something  in  his  cup"  and  then  as  he  be- 
came sleepy,  they  began  to  dance  around  him,  at  first  slowly,  steal- 
thily, then  faster  and  faster  until  they  were  fairly  whirling,  making 
Peer  quite  dizzy,  until  finally  he  fell  senseless. 

This  music  is  wonderful  because  it  describes  an  unlovely  strange 
story  and  does  it  correctly. 

As  you  listen  you  are  sure  the  Trolls  are  ugly  and  that  they 
were  tormenting  Peer.  Try  moving  your  finger  as  though  it  were 
one  of  the  Gnomes  dancing  around  Peer.  Keep  perfect  time. 
Don't  be  in  a  hurry — Feel  the  rhythm — Watch  how  gradually  the 
Gnomes  increase  their  speed.  Don't  jerk.  The  evenness  is  part 
of  the  marvel  of  this  music.  Can  your  finger  move  as  fast  as  the 
music  tells  you? 

Ase  was  Peer's  mother.  Does  this  music  make 
you  feel  she  was  dying?  'Compare  it  with  "Morn- 
ing." Would  the  music  which  is  to  tell  us  of  morn- 
ing be  as  full  of  bustle  and  rush  as  if  it  were  to  tell 
about  noon? 

THE  BEE   (67076)  FRANZ  SCHUBERT 

Did  you  ever  watch  a  bee  over  a  flower  bed?  What  does  it 
dp?  Draw  out  the  fact  that  she  has  a  very  swift,  eager,  irregular 
flight,  as  she  tries  one  flower  after  .another,  and  then  when  she  de- 
cides there  is  honey,  how  she  darts  down  into  the  flower — zip !  Have 
the  children  raise  their  hands  instantly,  the  minute  she  darts  into 
the  flower  to  stay.  See  if  she  changes  her  mind  before  she  really 
goes  in. 

What  instrument  could  best  show  us  this  picture  of  the  bee? 
Make  the  children  realize  why  the  violin  is  best,  by  discussion 
of  their  answers  to  the  question. 

"Franz  Schubert,  the  composer  of  this  charming 
little  tone  painting,  was  a  violinist  of  Dresden,  and 
was  no  relation  to  Franz  Peter  Schubert,  of  Vienna, 
the  great  composer  of  the  time  of  Beethoven.  This 
Franz  Schubert  was  born  in  Dresden  in  1808  and  died 
there  in  1878.  Almost  all  his  compositions  were  for 
his  favorite  instrument.  Possibly  the  one  which  has 
won  for  him  the  greatest  recognition  is  the  short  but 
exceedingly  clever  musical  delineation  of  the  buzzing 
bee." — Anne  Shaw  Faulkner. 

THE  SWAN   (Cygne,  L,e  45O96)  SAJNT-SAENS 

Where  does  a  swan  live?  Can  he  move  as  fast  as  a  bee? 
Why?  Then  if  he  is  bigger  and  moves  more  glidingly,  do  you  not 
think  we  should  have  the  music  tell  us  so?  Wouldn't  a  deeper  tone 
be  more  appropriate?  Listen  to  the  'cello  (Record  45096). 

When  you  see  this  number  on  programs  it  will  nearly  always  be 
by  the  French  name  for  the  swan,  Le  Cygne  (Luh  Seen-yuh).  This 
was  written  by  the  Frenchman,  Saint  Saens,  pronounced,  as  you  re- 
member, "Sahn  Sahn"  (with  nasal  tone). 

BLUE  DANUBE  WALTZ    (74627)  JOHANN   STRAUSS 

See  Page  367  of  "What  We  Hear  in  Music",  by  Anne  Shaw 
Faulkner. 

The  Richard  Strauss,  who  is  expected  in  America  this  fall,  is 
no  kin  to  the  Waltz  King,  but  is  a  remarkable  modern  composer. 

20 


CAPRICOIO  VALSB   (74686)  WIENIAWSK1 

This  composition  was  chosen  as  the  first  composition  to  be  re- 
corded by  the  world  famous  seventeen-year-old  wonder,  Erika 
Morini.  "You  will  marvel  at  its  sprightly  melodiousness  against  a 
rippling  piano  accompaniment  sustaining  a  lovely  waltz  rhythm 
throughout.  Swift,  cool  harmonies  rise  out  of  the  delicate  ara- 
besques of  passage  work,  as  delicious  to  the  ear  as  the  water  drops 
of  some  crystal  spring  might  be  to  the  lips.  There  are  softly  clang- 
ing, mandolin-like  pizzicati,  soft  wailing  double  stops,  exquisite 
glistening  trills — all  the  resources  of  the  instrument." 

CHANSON  INDOUE   (64890)  RIMSKY  KORSAKOFF 

Rirnsky  Korsakoff  was  an  officer  in  the  Russian  army  wno  com- 
posed music  on  shipiboard  and  mailed  it  to  his  teacher  in  St.  Peters- 
burg for  correction.  He  traveled  all  over  the  world  and  so  had 
first-hand  information  to  draw  upon  when  in  his  opera  "Sadko"  he 
wished  to  write  the  scene  in  which  the  foreign  traders  describe  their 
native  lands.  The  merchant  from  India  sings  the  "Chanson  Indoue," 
a  slow  and  languorous  melody,  expressive  of  the  strangeness  of  the 
Orient. 

DANSE  MACABRE  (35381)  SAINT-&AENS 

This  is  the  third  symphonic  poem  which  Saint-Saens  wrote  for 
the  orchestra.  He  was  inspired  by  Henri  Cozali's  (1840-1909) 
poem,  which  tells  of  the  dance  of  the  skeletons  at  midnight. 

"Zig,  Zig,  Zig,  death  in  grim  cadence 

Strikes  with  bony  heel  upon  the  tomb. 

Death  at  midnight  hour  plays  a  dance. 

Zig,  Zig,  Zig,  upon  his  violin. 

The  winter  winds  blow,  the  night  is  dark, 

Moans  are  heard  through  the  linden  trees. 

Through  the  gloom  the  white  skeletons  run, 

Leaping  and  dancing  in  their  shouds. 

Zig,  Zig,  Zig,  each  one  is  gay 

Their  bones  are  cracking  in  rhythmic  time. 

Then  suddenly  they  cease  the  dance. 

The  cock  has  crowed!      The  dawn  has  come." 

EIGHTH  SYMPHONY,  IN  F  MAJOR  (74661)  BEETHOVEN 

(Allegro,  Scherzando,  2nd  Movement) 

When  Maelzel,  the  inventor  of  the  Metronome,  had  perfected 
the  little  instrument  to  keep  the  exact  tempo  as  one  learns  to  play 
the  piano,  his  musical  friends  gave  a  party  in  his  honor.  Beethoven, 
one  of  the  guests,  was  feeling  particularly  happy  and  cleverly  made 
up  a  little  song,  toast  form,  to  Maelzel,  which  imitated  the  steady 
ticking  of  the  Metronome.  Everyone  enjoyed  it  so  keenly  that  soon 
afterward  he  used  it  for  a  theme  for  a  symphony. 

Listen  to  the  bass  instruments  telling  a  joke  and  the  soprano 
saying  "Think  of  that,"  and  through  all  of  it  hear  the  steady  throb 
and  click  of  the  Metronome  rhythm. 

GAVOTTE-MIGNON   (64454)  THOMAS 

Gavotte  is  a  dance  form.  It  is  in  4/4  rhythm  and  in  regular 
two  part  form,  much  like  the  Bouree,  which  was  a  cheerful,  rapid 
dance  from  Southern  France  or  Spain.  There  are  many  dance 
forms  which  have  been  used  as  the  basis  for  the  musical  composi- 
tions we  enjoy;  and  there  are  many  Gavottes.  This  Gavotte  was 
used  in  the  Opera  Mignon  (Meenyohn'),  the  music  for  which  was 
written  by  Ambrose  Thomas  and  first  produced  in  Paris  in  1866. 

21 


HUNGARIAN  RHAPSODY  No.  2   (74647-74670)  LISZT 

Think  of  a  man  writing  fifteen  rhapsodies!  Liszt  did.  Be- 
cause he  wrote  so  many  we  must  be  sure  to  say  No.  2  when  we  refer 
to  the  one  that  we  are  learning  now.  No.  2  is  the  most  famous 
and  consists  of  a  slow  introductory  movement  patterned  after  the 
"Lassen,"  of  slow  dance  music,  followed  by  rapid  "Friska"  from  the 
Czardas,  the  national  dance  of  Hungary  which  was  adapted  from  the 
Gypsies. 

See  if  you  can  find  some  lovely  special  surprises  in  this. 

HUMORESQUE   (74494-74163-74180)  DVORAK 

The  great  Bohemian  composer  Antonin  Dvorak  (pronounced 
Dvor'zhak)  is  said  to  have  written  this  to  tell  a  certain  story  of 
oppression  and  freedom,  love  and  longing,  anxiety  and  rest,  so  tang- 
led that  it  would  never  do  to  really  have  a  special  story.  It  slips 
into  everyone's  heart  and  everyone  wants  his  own  story.  Dvorak 
wrote  it  after  a  visit  to  the  Southern  states  of  America,  where  he 
was  gathering  folk  tunes. 

IN  A  THREE-HORSE  SLEIGH  (74630)  TSCHAIKOWSKY 

(Troka  en  traineaux) 

Sleighs  are  common  in  Russia,  and  the  Russian  Tschaikowsky 
has  wonderfully,  naturally  told  us  the  story,  which  is  beautifully 
interpreted  by  another  Russian,  Rachmaninoff.  Did  you  ever  see  a 
picture  of  the  queer  harness,  and  the  high  wooden  arches  over  the 
horses? 

As  you  listen,  see  what  you  can  find  out  about  this  story?  Is 
the  day  crisp,  and  tinkley?  Did  the  horses  go  fast  at  the  first  or  did 
the  sleigh  seem  quiet,  as  if  waiting  for  the  people  to  come  out  and 
start  off?  Tell  the  story  as  you  really  hear  it.  Decide  whom  you 
think  are  in  the  sleigh,  whether  a  little  boy  and  his  father,  or  an  old 
man  on  some  errands  or  a  merry  party  of  young  people,  etc. 

INTRODUCTION  AND  TARANTELLE   (74626)  SARASTE 

When  natives  of  Spain  are  bitten  by  a  huge  black  spider,  which 
we  call  a  "tarantula,"  it  has  been  a  custom  with  them  to  think  that 
the  only  cure  is  to  whirl  in  a  very  swift  dance  until  exhausted. 

Think  of  having  a  name  as  long  as  this,  Pablo  Meliton  Sarasate 
Y  Nevascues. 

He  was  a  great  Spanish  violinist  and  composer,  living  from 
1844  to  1908.  Born  in  Pampeluna,  Spain.  Prize  pupil  at  Paris 
Conservatoire.  Toured  the  world  at  26.  Wrote  many  composi- 
tions and  had  many  written  for  his  violin,  by  other  composers. 

INVITATION  TO  THE  WALTZ   (74598)  WEBER 

Back  in  the  time  when  people  wore  powdered  hair  and  pan- 
niered  skirts,  a  very  bashful  young  lady  went  to  a  beautiful  ball.  A 
handsome  stranger,  not  knowing  that  she  expected  to  be  a  wall- 
flower, invited  her  to  dance.  Listen  to  his  voice  as  the  'cello,  hers, 
as  the  soprano  violin.  Hear  her  high  surprised  voice  as  she  tells 
him  she  "can't  possibly";  then  he  insists.  She  is  sure  she  can't 
dance.  He  tells  her  he  will  show  her  how,  and  you  feel  that  he  is 
showing  her  a  few  steps,  as  he  begs.  Then  she  thinks  perhaps  she 
can  after  all,  and  they  whirl  forth  into  the  waltz. 

"Invitation  to  the  Dance"  was  written  a  few  months  after 
Weber's  happy  marriage  to  the  opera  singer,  Caroline  Brandt,  and  is 
dedicated  to  "My  Caroline",  and  may  be  a  memory  of  the  times  they 
danced  together,  their  conversation  together  before  the  dance,  their 
walking  along  with  the  crowd  and  then  whirling  into  the  dance. 

22 


KAMENNOI-OSTROW  (55O44)  RUBENSTEIN 

(For  splendid  "write-ups"  of  this,  see  "What  We  Hear  in 
Music",  Anne  Shaw  Faulkner  and  E.  B.  Perry's  "Descriptive  Analy- 
ses of  Piano  Pieces".) 

The  general  title  "Kammennoi  Ostrow"  takes  its  name  from  a 
fashionable  resort  on  the  Kamennoi  Island  in  the  River  Neva,  Rus- 
sia, where  Rubenstein  spent  many  vacation  days.  It  is  a  collection 
of  twenty-four  piano  pieces,  giving  us  a  tonal  portrait  of  his  friends 
or  acquaintances  made  by  Rubenstein  while  there.  No.  22,  "Reve 
Angelique,"  is  dedicated  to  Mile.  Anna  de  Friedbourg,  and  is  said  to 
be  her  idealized  portrait  painted  in  tone. 

"No.  22  in  F-sharp  Minor  is  the  best  known  piece  in  the  collec- 
tion and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  beautiful  melodies  which 
Rubenstein  ever  gave  us.  After  a  few  measures  of  accompaniment, 
which  serve  as  Introduction,  the  first  subject  is  announced.  This  is 
a  broad  dignified  melody  which  is  in  beautiful  contrast  to  the  more 
animated  second  subject.  This  dreamy  and  pensive  melody  is  sung 
by  the  'cellos,  with  an  accompaniment  in  the  trebles  by  flute  and 
violins,  which  suggests  the  ripple  of  water.  A  third  subject  is  based 
on  an  old  Russian  Church  Chorale." 

It  is  said  that  this  piece  carries  with  it  a  definite  program. 
The  first  subject  in  its  broad  serenity  suggests  a  moon-lit  garden  on 
a  summer  evening,  the  second  subject  depicting  the  conversation  of 
the  two  lovers,  there  by  the  rippling  water,  whose  tender  words  are 
interrupted  by  the  tolling  of  a  bell  in  the  chapel  nearby  and  the 
chanting  of  the  monks  at  even-song. 

LIEBESTRAUM    (74696)  LISZT 

Liszt  wrote  three  tone  poems  for  the  piano  which  he  called 
"Liebestraum".  The  first  two  were  given  sub-titles  of  "Nocturne," 
but  they  are  in  reality  songs  without  words.  The  most  famous  of 
the  three  is  the  one  in  A  flat.  Liszt  originally  used  this  melody  as  a 
song,  which  he  set  to  the  poem  by  Ferdinand  Freilgarth  (1810-1876) 
a  German  Revolutionary  poet,  who  in  his  youth  wrote  many  charm- 
ing lyrics  reflective  of  Romanticism  His  poem,  "O  Love,"  made  a 
very  deep  impression  on  Liszt,  who  used  it  as  a  song,  then  as  the 
transcription  with  which  we  are  familiar.  The  words  may  be  read 
in  the  sheet  music  of  "Liebestraum,"  by  Oliver  Ditson  Co.,  or  in  the 
book,  "What  We  Hear  in  Music",  by  Anne  Shaw  Faulkner. 

MABOHE  MINIATURE   (64766)  TSCHAIKOWSKY 

This  happy  little  march  is  a  welcome  number  between  all  deeper 
numbers.  The  sparkle  and  ecstasy  of  both  melody  and  instrumen- 
tation make  it  one  beloved  and  remembered. 

Listen  carefully  and  you  will  hear  the  soprano  and  bass  tag 
each  other,  and  then  the  soprano  will  run  up  the  scale,  and  the  bass 
down,  but  before  long  they  come  back  and  run  along  together.  With 
your  right  hand  the  soprano  and  your  left  the  bass,  show  us  when 
they  leave  and  return  to  play  together. 

MELODY  IN  F    (45096)  RUBINSTEIN 

This  little  poetic  thought  shows  the  influence  of  Mendelssohn's 
"Song  Without  Words."  Though  a  Russian,  Rubenstein  was  edu- 
cated in  Germany,  and  he  once  said  of  himself.  "The  Germans  call 
me  a  Russian;  the  Russians  a  German;  the  Jews  a  Christian;  and 
the  Christians  a  Jew.  What  am  I  then?" 

MINUET  IN  G  (64121)  BEETHOVEN 

A  universally  popular  little  gem,  by  the  big  deep  writer. 

23 


MINUET  WALTZ,  D-FLAT   (64O76)  OHOPIN 

Sometimes  seen  listed  on  programs  as  Valse,  D  Flat. 

(See  Biography  in  Rural  Schools  Booklet.) 

When  played  swiftly  only  one  minute  is  required  to  play  this 
number,  and  for  this  reason  it  has  been  called  the  Minute  Waltz, 
although  some  call  it  the  "Little  Dog  Waltz,"  and  attach  the  follow- 
ing story.  It  is  said  that  on  one  occasion,  as  Chopin  and  a  friend 
watched  a  little  dog  vainly  whirling  in  an  attempt  to  catch  his  tail, 
the  companion  said,  "If  I  had  your  nimble  fingers  I  would  write  a 
little  waltz  for  the  little  fellow."  Whereupon,  the  composer  turned 
to  his  piano  and  evolved  the  waltz  which  has  won  for  him  such  popu- 
lar applause,  and  for  listeners  such  pleasure,  but — Oh,  how  hard 
It  is  to  tell  the  story  correctly  when  we  are  just  learning  the  mys- 
tery of  the  keys. 

As  you  listen,  see  if  you  feel  the  little  dog  getting  dizzy,  rest- 
ing a  minute,  then  whirling  until  he  drops  exhausted. 

MOMENT  MUSICALE  (18216)  SCHUBERT 

(Pronounced  Moh-Mohn  Moo-Zee-<Cal.) 
A  perfect  musical  form,  and  general  favorite. 

MIDSUMMER  NIGHT'S  DREAM   (Overture)    (35625) 

MENDELSSOHN 

At  the  age  of  seventeen  Mendelssohn  wrote  music  for  Shakes- 
peare's play,  and  he  and  his  sister,  Fanny,  and  some  friends  gave  the 
play  with  Felix's  music,  there  at  their  home.  It  was  considered  so 
beautifully  done  that  it  was  finished  and  has  ever  since  been  one  of 
the  most  famous  numbers  by  this  composer. 

NARCISSUS  (17472)  NEVIN 

Tell  the  class  the  old  Greek  myth  about  Narcissus,  which 
Nevin,  the  American  composer,  has  interpreted  in  this  music,  "This 
"Lovely  Boy,"  when  gazing  into  the  limpid  waters  of  a  clear  pool, 
fell  in  love  with  his  own  reflection,  with  unhappy  results,  as  it 
caused  him  to  pine  away  until  he  finally  turned  into  a  flower  which 
now  bears  his  name."  Which  part  of  the  music  describes  the  boy? 
Which  part  the  changing  into  a  flower?  Can  you  hear  how  each 
phrase  is  echoed  by  a  similar  one?  That  is  the  way  the  music  ex- 
presses the  reflection  of  the  boy's  face  in  the  water." — F.  Sheehy. 

NEW  WORLD  SYMPHONY    (74631)  DVORAK 

This  'Largo'  movement  is  the  second  of  the  symphony,  and  feels 
like  the  breezes  on  a  field  of  cotton  where  there  are  negroes  sway- 
ing in  tune  with  the  breeze.  The  negroes  of  the  South  always  sing 
at  their  work,  and  one  after  another  calls  to  remote  parts  of  the  field 
some  bit  of  news  in  song,  which  rises  and  falls  as  evenly  as  the 
waves  of  the  sea — songs  full  of  hope  and  imagination  and  memories, 
lifted  to  the  sky  above  as  unconsciously  and  naturally  as  the  flight 
of  birds  in  springtime.  Listen  to  the  appropriate  use  of  the  wood 
wind  choir  of  the  orchestra.  The  beauty  of  this  envelopes  and  holds 
one  in  the  spell  of  the  beauty  of  the  out  of  doors. 

NOCTURNE  IN  E  FLAT    (74616)  CHOPIN 

This  is  one  of  the  most  famous  'night  songs'  of  the  Pole 
Frederic  Chopin,  who  immortalized  the  national  dances  of  Poland, 
the  mazurka  and  polonaise,  but  who  was  also  the  first  to  be  called 
"the  poet  of  the  piano."  This  evening  song  is  so  full  of  poetry  that 
we  easily  see  that  this  fame  is  justly  earned. 

24 


POET  AND  PEASANT  (Overture)    (355O9)  VON  SUPPE 

This  overture  was  written  by  Franz  Von  Suppe,  who  was  born 
in  Spalato,  Dalmatia,  in  1819,  but  who  lived  most  of  his  life  in 
Vienna,  where  he  died  in  1895.  Suppe  has  composed  many  light 
operas  and  overtures,  and  of  the  latter,  "Poet  and  Peasant"  has  en- 
joyed extraordinary  popularity.  See  if  you  can  write  a  story  about 
what  the  music  tells  you?  Does  the  title  tell  you  what  Von  Suppe 
was  endeavoring  to  tell  in  music? 

POMP  AND  CIRCUMSTANCE    (35247)  ELOAR 

Of  a  set  of  several  marches  of  the  same  title,  this  stirring 
march,  "Pomp  and  Circumstance,"  is  one  of  the  most  popular  con- 
cert numbers  by  Sir  Edward  Elgar,  of  the  modern  English  school. 
It  was  composed  for  the  coronation  of  King  Edward  VII  and  played 
during  all  the  incidental  festivities.  Soon  after  his  accession  to 
the  throne,  King  Edward  bestowed  the  title  of  Knight  on  the  Eng- 
lish musician. 

It  is  an  excellent  example  of  march  form  and  the  brass  effect 
should  be  especially  noted. 

The  trio  of  the  march  is  very  popular  as  a  song,  known  as  "Land 
of  Hope  and  Glory." 

PRELUDE  IN  C  SHARP  MINOR   (35625)  RACHMANINOFF 

Russia  is  a  land  of  bells,  we  are  told,  and  "it  is  of  their  tolling 
that  the  opening  theme,  thundered  out  in  octaves,  speaks.  Above 
this  is  heard  the  counter  chime  of  smaller  bells.  The  great  founda- 
tion tones  reverberate  again  and  again  against  the  upper  chimes 
until  the  whole  tonal  mass  is  allowed  to  die  away  in  softness." 

Surely  you  can  remember  this  prelude  to  the  chimes?  If  you 
were  passing  some  chimes  which  played  this  melody,  would  you 
recognize  it  and  be  able  to  say,  "That  is  C  Sharp  Minor,  by  Rach- 
maninoff." Rachmaninoff  was  born  in  Russia  in  1873,  so  he  must 
have  really  heard  chimes  many  times. 

ROKOCZY  MARCH    (74695)  BERLIOZ 

(Pronounced  Rah-koh-tshee) 

We  call  your  attention  to  a  most  excellent  and  complete  story 
of  this  number  as  found  in  "What  We  Hear  in  Music".  Also,  Ap- 
thorp's  "Life  of  Hector  Berlioz,"  pages  52  to  54. 

The  Rakoczy  March  is  the  national  air  of  Hungary  and  was 
originally  written  by  Michael  Barna,  a  Gypsy  court  musician  of 
Prince  Rakoczy,  from  whom  this  composition  takes  its  name. 

The  Rakoczy  family  were  leaders  in  the  Hungarian  independent 
movement  for  many  generations,  the  most  famous  member  of  the 
family  being  Franz  II,  who  led  the  Revolution  in  1703.  Under  the 
direction  of  the  composer,  Barna,  this  was  played  when  the  Young 
Prince  and  his  wife  made  their  state  entry  into  Eperjes,  and  in  1711 
Barna  changed  it  to  a  more  war-like  march,  when  Franz  led  the  re- 
volt against  Leopold  I.  Manuscript  was  kept  in  the  Barna  family 
for  generations,  but  many  musicians  of  Hungary  used  the  melody. 
Chief  popularity  is  due  through  the  personal  beauty  and  genius  of 
Barna's  granddaughter,  who  played  it  on  her  violin.  At  her  death 
the  manuscript  came  into  the  hands  of  another  Hungarian  Gipsy 
violinist,  Ruzsitka,  who  added  strength  and  character,  and  it  was 
from  him  that  Berlioz  borrowed  it,  and  made  an  arrangement  for 
use  in  his  "Damnation  of  Faust",  the  success  of  which  is  thrilling 
enough  for  a  story  all  its  own. 

25 


SALUT  d' AMOUR  (18755)  ELiGAB 

"Love's  Greeting" — a  modern  instrumental  serenade  by  Ed- 
ward Elgar,  an  Englishman,  who  is  considered  one  of  the  foremost 
composers  of  the  present  day.  He  was  born  in  1857.  This  number 
is  one  which  all  children  love  to  try  to  whistle. 

SCHEHERAZADE   (74593)  RIMSKY-KORSAKOFF 

(Festival  of  Bagdad  or  Fourth  Movement) 

The  story  of  this  composition  is  taken  from  the  Arabian  Nights. 
Scheherazade,  the  sultan's  wife,  to  save  her  life,  told  her  husband 
stories  for  a  thousand  and  one  nights.  The  Festival  of  Bagdad  is 
the  fourth  movement  from  the  symphonic  suite,  "Scheherazade." 
Rimsky-Korsakoff's  musical  interpretations  of  one  of  the  sultana's 
tales.  (See  pages  317-318  of  Spalding's  book,  "Music:  a  Litera- 
ture and  an  Art") 

The  Festival  of  Bagdad  illustrates  the  composer's  power  of 
drawing  a  vivid  picture.  You  know  how  exciting  it  is  to  go  to  the 
circus  and  hear  the  criers  of  the  side-shows,  the  roars  of  the  animals 
and  the  throngs  of  people  in  high-pitched  holiday  voices  thronging 
into  the  tents.  Did  you  ever  see  the  old  Arab  who  was  with  one  of 
the  big  circuses,  spinning  like  a  top  in  his  chalked  circle,  his  casta- 
nets held  high  above  his  turbaned  head,  his  long,  full  trousers 
balooning  above  his  turned-up  pointed  shoes?  Do  you  remember 
the  man  who  sat  cross-legged  near  the  whirling  figure  and  played 
his  accompaniment  on  a  piccolo?  See  if  you  can  place  these  figures 
in  the  1145-year-old  city  of  Bagdad,  there  between  the  Euphrates 
and  Tigris  Rivers,  which  flow  into  the  Persian  Gulf.  Let's  have 
them  in  a  colorful  gala  street  fair,  under  the  blue,  blue  skies  of  the 
Orient,  mingling  with  camels,  silks  and  excitement.  Can  you  find 
this  picture  in  the  music  of  the  Festival  of  Bagdad? 

SERENADE    (64576)  MOSKOWSKI 

In  warm  Southern  countries,  people  do  not  visit  with  one  an- 
other in  houses  in  the  evening,  because  it  is  too  hot  to  stay  indoors. 
If  a  gentleman  wishes  to  compliment  a  lady,  he  takes  his  guitar 
and  plays  upon  it  while  he  sings  a  song  under  her  balcony  or  win- 
dow. Such  a  song  is  called  a  "serenade."  This  serenade  is  a  song 
without  words. 

SERENADE   (74167)  SCHUBERT 

Schubert's  "Serenade"  is  a  song  with  words,  and  very  beautiful 
they  are,  too.  The  lover  tells  how  the  night  winds  are  moving 
softly,  the  streams  are  whispering,  and  he,  too,  is  awake,  keeping 
watch  with  the  stars  and  the  moon. 

SOUVENIR   (64074)  DRDLA 

Drdla  dedicated  this  "Souvenir"  to  his  former  teacher,  Wianiaw- 
ski,  and  has  been  a  favorite  with  violinists  and  hearers  ever  since. 
The  term  souvenir  is  applied  to  music  of  a  quiet,  thoughtful  type, 
which  interprets  the  thoughts  we  have  when  we  look  at  a  box  of 
trinkets  given  to  us  by  one  whom  we  love. 
SPRING  SONG  (18648)  MENDELSSOHN 

This  is  one  of  the  composer's  "Songs  Without  Words." 
light  arpeggio  chords  against  the  exquisite  melody  give  it  the  at- 
mosphere of  springtime. 

SURPRISE  SYMPHONY   (Second  Movement)    (35243)  HAYDN 

Remember  in  hearing  this  that  Haydn  was  the  Father  of  the 

Symphony,  and  that  at  this  time,  there  was  no  wonderful  Symphony 

26 


Orchestra  as  we  have  today.  The  music  which  Haydn  played  for 
the  people  of  the  royal  court  was  rather  dreamy  and  quiet,  such  as 
might  have  been  heard  when  Bach  was  at  his  organ  in  a  church. 
The  story  goes  that  one  day  some  of  the  royal  people  became  anxious 
to  have  something  different,  and  when  one  of  the  gentlemen  told 
Haydn,  he  determined  to  surprise  them.  The  second  movement  of 
every  symphony  is  supposed  to  be  the  quiet  one,  but  in  this  case, 
just  as  the  powdered  wigs  were  beginning  to  nod  and  adjust  them- 
selves for  a  long  time  of  "just-the-same"  kind  of  music,  the  or- 
chestra suddenly  gave  a  crash  and  wakened  them  into  attention. 
For  this  reason  it  is  called  the  Surprise  Symphony. 

SYMPHONY  IN  B  MINOR   (35314)  SCHUBERT 

(Called  the  Unfinished  Symphony) 

"What  We  Hear  in  Music"  has  a  good  discussion  of  this.  Be 
sure  to  read  it.  There  are  many  books  discussing  this  because  of 
the  unusual  beauty  and  the  mystery  of  its  never  having  been  com- 
pleted. It  was  not  sudden  death  which  stopped  the  composer's 
work,  for  it  was  begun  in  1822,  and  Schubert  did  not  die  until  1828. 
The  work  was  found  by  Sir  George  Grove  in  1867,  in  a  pile  of  Schu- 
bert's old  manuscripts,  and  given  by  him  to  the  world.  He  says: 
"I  am  convinced  that  it  stands  quite  apart  from  all  the  other  com- 
positions of  Schubert  or  of  any  other  master." 

There  are  two  beautiful  subjects  throughout,  one  introduced  by 
the  'cellos,  and  the  other  by  the  woodwinds. 

Try  presenting  this  by  drawing  the  places  where  the  special  in- 
struments sit  as  they  begin  the  story  and  "check  in"  as  the  story  pro- 
gresses to  the  point  where  the  famous  'cello  melody  comes  in. 

Did  you  ever  listen  to  the  deep-voiced  father  violins  as  they 
stand  back  and  rumble  about  some  great  secret,  then  hear  how  it 
excites  the  first  violins  until  they  tremble  with  the  overpowering 
mystery  of  it  all?  The  second  violins  become  eager  to  know  what 
is  exciting  the  first  violins  and  they  begin  to  tremble,  too;  then  the 
mother  violins  become  anxious,  and  even  the  horns  are  full  of  cur- 
iosity and  ask  to  be  let  in  on  the  secret.  The  flute  calls  out  high, 
above  all  the  rest.  He  thinks  HE  should  know  by  all  means,  so  then 
— the  boys  violins,  the  'cellos,  who  knows  what  their  father  were 
talking  about  this  time? — decide  to  tell  everybody!  And  what  a 
beautiful  message  they  sing! 

Have  the  children  hum  as  soon  as  this  famous  melody  is  wafted 
into  the  story.  But  first  see  that  they  know  the  exact  place,  by  a 
sudden  show  of  hands  as  that  part  comes  into  the  story. 

TO  A  WILD  ROSE  (17691)  EDWARD  MacDOWEfLL 

Although  many  think  they  can  play  this  beautiful  dainty  num- 
ber, the  composer  after  hearing  a  small  child  attempt  to  play  it, 
remarked:  "I've  just  listened  to  some  one  tearing  my  rose  up  by 
the  roots." 

Did  you  ever  really  look  at  a  wild  rose  and  see  the  delicate 
coloring  and  the  simplicity  of  its  lines?  This  composition  is  one 
of  a  series  of  "Woodland  Sketches,"  all  of  which  are  so  poetic  that 
we  may  have  thoughts  other  than  those  suggested  by  the  titles, 
but  these  thoughts  must  be  sweet  and  beautjful  to  match  the  music. 

TRAUMEREI    (64197)  SCHUMANN 

We  quote  here  from  Rural  School  Booklet:  "Traumerei 
(Troh-meh-rye)  is  one  of  a  group  of  smaller  compositions,  called 
"Childhood  Scenes."  It  is  probably  the  most  beloved  of  the  entire 

27 


group,  and  is  a  universal  favorite,  'beloved  by  old  and  young. 
Traumerei  means  'Dreaming'." 

"It  is  said  that  this  number  was  intended  to  portray  a  dream 
of  the  summer  with  its  deep  blue  sky,  flecked  with  fleecy  clouds. 
The  fragrance  of  the  wild  rose  comes  on  balmy  breeze  and  soothes 
the  senses  into  a  delicious  reverie.  The  change  in  key  comes  as 
the  dreamer  momentarily  rouses  himself.  Soon,  however,  the  first 
key  returns,  as  the  dreamer's  senses  are  again  lulled  to  rest.  Only 
one  melody  is  heard  throughout  this  entire  composition,  the  con- 
trasts being  obtained  by  modulations,  or  changes  of  key. 

"Try  this  exquisite  gem  in  the  'sleepy  time'  or  rest  period." 

TAILOR  AND  THE  BEAR  (18598)  MacDOWEOj 

There  are  many  ways  to  present  this.  If  children  are  accus- 
tomed to  interpreting  musical  stories,  let  them  give  their  own  ver- 
sion. If  there  is  no  musical  reason  for  certain  statements  which 
they  may  have  made,  then  they  need  some  definite  assistance.  The 
mere  statement  that  they  like  a  certain  composition  is  no  indica- 
tion that  they  comprehend  the  story.  'For  those  not  experienced  in 
musical  perception  we  suggest  the  following  story  and  active  res- 
ponse. Tell  the  story  to  the  class  and  explain  the  signals  you  de- 
sire. Then  watch  how  some  hear  correctly,  others  as  mistakenly  or 
listlessly  as  -tho  mother  had  started  a  record  at  home  and  then 
every  one  talked. 

Once  there  was  a  tailor,  busily  sewing.  Do  you  think  we  will 
know,  if  we  listen,  whether  he  was  happy  or  sad?  (How  can 
music  tell  it?) 

Suddenly  a  great  black  bear  came  to  the  door!  Just  fright- 
ens the  breath  out  of  the  .tailor.  Then  he  happened  to  wonder  if 
the  bear  was  tame,  and  to  find  out  he  grabbed  up  his  violin,  which 
he  kept  near  him  to  rest  him  from  sewing,  and  began  to  tune  up. 
Guess  what  the  bear  did!  Yes,  sir,  he  began  to  dance!  But  he 
hadn't  been  dancing  long  when  his  keeper  came  for  him,  and  tried 
to  take  him  away.  The  bear  was  having  such  a  good  time  that  he 
didn't  want  to  go,  so  the  tailor  tuned  up  again.  This  time  the  tailor 
was  not  nearly  so  frightened  and  could  give  a  better  dance,  such  as 
great  lumbering  bears  love.  But  they  didn't  have  all  day  to  give 
to  a  bear  so  his  keeper  dragged  him  along,  and  as  far  as  you  can 
hear  him  going  down  the  street,  he  is  growling.  'Not  a  fierce  growl, 
but  a  happy  one,  thinking  of  the  happy  time  he'd  had.  The  tailor, 
as  he  returned  ito  his  work,  was  so  relieved  that  the  bear  hadn't 
eaten  him,  that  he  began  to  whistle. 

When  the  tailor  sews  we  will  take  great  basting  thread  stitches 
in  time  with  the  music.  When  he  tunes  his  violin  the  first  time, 
we  will  pretend  to  tune,  then  play  a  violin  in  time  with  the  rhythm. 
After  he  tunes  the  second  time,  we  will  make  two  fingers  dance  in 
slow  bear  dance  time,  -then  walk  your  fingers  off  down  the  road,  then 
sew  again.  When  the  tailor  whistles,  we  will  whistle  exactly  as  he 
does.  See  what  a  wonderful  thing  it  is  to  have  a  whole  story  told 
with  just  instruments  of  the  orchestra! 

TURKISH  MARCH  (64965)  REETHOVETV 

The  Turkish,  March  is  from  a  work  for  chorus  and  orchestra, 
which  Beethoven  wrote  in  1811  for  the  opening  of  a  new  theatre  at 
Pesth,  Hungary.  This  march  has  been  arranged  for  piano.  The 
words  of  the  original  work  are  by  Kotzcbue,  a  German  poet,  and 
were  inspired  by  the  struggles  of  the  Greeks  against  their  Turkish 
oppressors  at  the  beginning  of  the  19th  century.  You  hear  the 
'Turks  approach,  pass  you  and  go  off  into  the  distance. 

28 


WHIRLWIND    (18312)  KRANTZ 

This  remarkable  flute  solo  tells  us,  perhaps,  what  happens  when 
an  autumn  wind  whirls  through  a  lane  of  leaves.  Draw  out  the  fact 
•that  a  whirl  of  wind  has  two  chief  characteristics — whirling  and  a 
light,  lilting  way  of  playing  tag.  Ask  why  a  drum  could  not  tell 
the  story  as  well  as  the  flute. 

SONGS 

These  simple  well-beloved  melodies  are  chosen  because  of  their 
representing  several  nations  and  spreading  the  joy  of  becoming 
familiar  with  National  characteristics. 

There  is  so  much  opportunity  to  secure  information  regarding 
these  numbers  that  we  will  not  publish  a  complete  discussion  of 
them  here.  The  Rural  School  Booklet  will  give  valuable  assistance 
in  supplying  words  for  most  of  these;  we  are  submitting  only  two, 
"Mighty  Lak'  a  Rose",  and  "John  Peel".  The  sturdy  even  rhyth- 
metic  boom  of  the  latter,  makes  it  one  of  great  interest  to  a  large 
number  of  those  who  become  familiar  with  it.  De  Gogorza  sings 
this  well. 

It  is  said  that  when  Mozart  slipped  on  the  polished  floor  of  the 
Palace  he  said  to  Marie  Antoinette  who  assisted  him  to  his  little- 
boy  feet,  "Thank  you,  you  are  kind.  Some  day  I'll  mary  you."  It 
was  this  boy  who  lived  so  much  of  his  time  in  the  palaces  of  kings 
and  who  wrote  the  Cradle  Song  we  sing  on  our  list. 

FUNICULI  FUNICULA  is  a  merry  song  written  for  the  gala  day 
when  the  people  of  Italy  were  celebrating  the  first  trip  of  a  queer 
little  train  which  was  made  to  ascend  Mount  Vesuvius  by  the  force 
of  one  car,  on  its  down  trip,  pulling  the  other  car  up.  The  music 
reminds  us  of  the  clicking  of  this  kind  of  train. 

LO,  HERE  THE  GENTLE  LARK  is  so  wonderful  an  opportunity 
to  create  an  intelligent  interest  in  Coloratura  voice  work  that  we  sug- 
gest a  comparison  of  actual  bird  voices  by  playing  records  of  the  real 
nightengale,  as  he  talks,  sings  and  then  thrills.  You  will  discover 
the  marvel  of  a  voice  which  can  be  so  like  one  of  the  few  birds  who 
can  really  trill. 

This  number  is  not  merely  a  vocal  display.  There  is  much  of 
special  interest.  We  are  all  sure  that  Shakespeare  certainly  knew 
how  to  use  words  to  describe  certain  things.  This  time  he  is  telling 
of  the  lark  who  likes  to  leave  its  low  nest  among  the  grasses  and 
soar  up  to  greet  the  morning,  singing  as  he  flies.  Bishop,  who 
wrote  the  music  of  "Home,  Sweet  Home",  decided  to  describe  the 
Lark  in  Music.  You  will  see  that  both  these  men  had  closely  ob- 
served a  lark.  As  you  listen,  can  you  tell  when  the  bird  flies  up, 
floats,  sings  and  then  swoops  down? 

JOHN  PEEL   (64063)  OLD  ENGLISH 

This  song  is  sung  by  the  boys  of  the  famous  old  English  schools, 
Eton  and  Harrow.  The  words  are  kindly  furnished  for  this  book- 
let by  Miss  B.  Nelson. 

D'ye  ken  John  Peel  with  his  coat  so  gay? 
D'ye  ken  John  Peel  at  the  break  of  d,ay? 
D'ye  ken  John  Peel  when  he's  far,  far  away 
With  his  hounds  and  his  horn  in  the  morning? 

Yes,  I  ken  John  Peel  with  his  coat  so  gay, 
He  lived  at  Troutbeck  once  on  a  day. 
We'll  follow  John  Peel  with  hurray  and  hurray 
If  we  want  a  good  hunt  in  the  morning. 

29 


CRADLE  SONG   (64590)  MOZART 

MIGHTY  LAK'  A  ROSE   (89108)  NEVIN 

These  two  songs  attest  tenderness  toward  childhood  to  be  one 
of  the  beautiful  unchanging  facts  of  life  the  world  over. 

Mozart's  "Cradle  Song"  is  sung  to  some  aristocratic  'baby  in  an 
old  world  castle.  We  see  the  moon  peeping  thru  a  Gothic  window 
at  the  wakeful  baby,  and  bathing  in  white  light,  an  expanse  of  gar- 
den and  meadow  where  now  sleep  the  lambkins,  bees  and  birds. 
The  singer  tells  us  all  about  a  house  of  grandeur  as  she  summons 
soothing  images  to  lull  her  charge  to  sleep. 

The  simplicity  of  the  surroundings  of  the  southern  mammy  lead 
her  to  draw  upon  the  unearthly  of  her  imagery,  so  after  she  has 
compared  her  baby  to  the  one  beautiful  object  of  her  cabin  home, 
the  rose  that  grows  outside  the  door,  she  likens  him  to  heaven  and 
the  angels. 

'Negro  mammies  used  to  always  care  for  the  little  babies  of 
the  south  and  the  words  of  this  song  will  show  you  how  they  loved 
these  babies. 

"Sweetest  li'l  fellow, 

Everybody  knows; 

Dunno  what  to  call  him, 

But  he  mighty  lak'  a  rose! 

Lookin'  at  his  mammy 

Wid  eyes  so  shiney  blue, 

Mek'  you  think  that  heaven 

Is  coming  clost  ter  you! 

Wen  he's  dar  a  sleepin', 

In  his  li'l  place, 

Think  I  see  de  angels 

Lookin'  thru  de  lace, 

Wen  de  dark  is  fallin', 

Wen  de  shadows  creep, 

Den  dey  comes  on  tip  toe 

Ter  kiss  'im  in  his  sleep. 

Sweetest  li'l  fellow — etc. 

OPERA 

DANCE  OF  THE  HOURS  (55044)  PONOHIEtLiLI 

(From  GIACONDA) 

The  Dance  of  the  Hours  is  a  ballet  which  is  given  for  the  en- 
tertainment of  the  guests  during  a  masked  ball  in  the  Venetian 
palace  of  the  duke  in  the  third  act  of  Ponchielli's  opera  "La  Gia- 
conda".  The  dancers  are  dressed  to  represent  light  and  darkness, 
dawn  and  twilight,  and  the  music  symbolizes  the  struggle  ever  pres- 
ent in  the  world,  between  good  and  evil,  progress  and  ignorance. 

ANVIL,  CHORUS    (17231)  VERDI 

(From  IL  TROVATORE) 

The  scene  of  the  Anvil  Chorus  from  Verdi's  opera  "II  Trova- 
tore"  is  a  gypsy  camp  in  the  Biscay  Mountains.  It  is  early  morning 
and  the  men  are  beginning  their  day's  work,  singing  as  they  ham- 
mer on  their  anvils. 

HOME  TO  OUR  MOUNTAINS   (8906O)  VERDI 

(From  IL  TROVATORE) 

Home  to  Our  Mountains  is  a  duet  between  the  old  gypsy,  Azu- 
cena,  and  her  adopted  son,  Marrico.  They  are  in  prison,  and  the 
gypsy  longs  for  the  peace  of  her  old  mountain  hime,  while  Marrico 
tries  to  comfort  her  by  assuring  her  that  they  will  some  day  return 
to  it. 

30 


SEXTETTE   (55O66)  DONIZETTI 

(From  LUCIA  DI  LAMMEBMOOB) 

The  story  of  Donizetti's  opera,  Lucia,  is  taken  from  Sir  Walter 
Scott's  novel  "The  Bride  of  Lammermoor".  The  sextette  is  sung 
in  the  scene  during  which  Edgar,  who  loved  Lucy,  returns  from 
France  just  after  Lucy  had  been  forced  by  her  brother  Henry  to 
marry  Sir  Arthur.  Brother  and  sister,  the  two  rivals,  with  Ray- 
mond (the  chaplain)  and  Alice  (Lucy's  companion)  express  their 
conflicting  emotions  in  this  famous  sextette. 

LAST  ROSE  OF  SUMMER  (74536)  FLOTOW 

(From  MARTHA) 

The  words  of  the  "Last  Rose  of  Summer"  are  by  the  Irish  poet, 
Tom  Moore,  and  the  melody  is  an  old  Irish  folk-tune.  In  Flotow's 
opera  "Martha",  Harriet  and  Nancy,  ladies  in  waiting  to  the  queen, 
disguise  themselves  as  servant  maids,  and  are  hired  by  two  farmers. 
When  Lionel,  one  of  the  farmers  asks  Harriet  to  sing,  she  responds 
with  this  Irish  song. 

GOODNIGHT  QUARTET  (95210)  FLOTOW 

From  MARTHA) 

The  two  farmers,  Lionel  and  Plunket,  have  been  trying  to  teach 
their  new  found  servant  girls  to  spin  and  after  the  lesson  join  with 
the  maidens  in  singing  the  "Goodnight  Quartet". 

QUARTET    (55066)  VERDI 

(From  RIGOLETTO) 

Rigoletto  is  the  name  of  the  hunch  back  who  is  the  father  of 
the  beautiful  Gilda,  and  the  jester  to  the  gay  Duke  of  Mantua.  The 
Duke  has  told  Gilda  that  he  loves  her.  Rigoletto,  knowing  that  the 
Duke  is  false,  allows  his  daughter  to  overhear  his  patron  making 
love  to  another  girl,  Maddalena.  The  quartet  occurs  when  Rigo- 
letto tenderly  addresses  Maddalena  in  the  tavern  where  she  re- 
pulses him.  Outside  Gilda  sings  heartbrokenly,  and  Rigoletto  vows 
vengeance  on  the  Duke. 

BARCAROLLE  (87532)  OFFEiNBACH 

(From  THE  TALES  OF  HOFFMAN) 

The  scene  during  which  the  Barcarolle  is  heard  pictures  a  room 
in  a  palace  in  Venice.  Through  the  windows  are  seen  the  moonlit, 
"untrodden"  streets  of  the  city  of  waters.  The  people  in  the  room 
sing  this  beautiful  duet  whose  swaying  rhythm  expresses  the  motion 
of  gondolas. 

RIDE  OF  THE  VALKYRIES  (74684)  WAGNEB 

(From  DIE  WALKUIRE) 

The  Valkyries  are  the  warlike  daughters  of  Wotan,  king  of  the 
Gods,  who  ride  through  the  air  on  winged  horses,  picking  up  heroes 
who  fall  on  the  field  of  battle  and  carrying  them  to  Walhall,  home 
of  the  Gods.  In  this  music  you  can  hear  the  wierd  cries  of  the  god- 
desses and  the  neighing  of  their  steeds. 

OVERTURE  TO  WILLIAM  TELL  (3512O,  35121)  ROSSINI 

This  number  is  the  overture  to  an  opera  founded  on  Schiller's 
story  of  the  Swiss  patriot,  William  Tell,  who  shot  an  apple  poised 
upon  his  son's  head.  The  overture  is  in  four  parts  and  describes 
scenes  in  Switzerland  in  this  order:  first,  dawn  in  the  mountains; 
second,  a  storm;  third,  calm  after  the  storm  and  the  shepherd's 
prayer  of  thankfulness;  fourth,  the  stirring  march  of  Swiss  troops 
as  they  gather  to  fight  for  freedom. 

31 


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